Well pump



W. F. COX

WELL PUMP June 13,` 1939.

Original Filed June 25, 1956 wb2/Liam /f-f. Coge,

Patented June 13,1939

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Divided and this application December 18, 1937, Serial No. 180,625

7 Claims. (Cl. 103-181) This invention relates to improvements in pumps and, particularly, to oil well pumps of the typegenerally referred to as casing pumps wherein the oil ows to the surface through the well casing, as distinguished from the use of tubing Within the casing for conveying the oil upwardly to the surface. f F,

Not infrequently it is desirable to inspect and possibly replace or repair the essential operating elements of pumps of this type, in which event it is, of course, necessary to withdraw/them from the well. Usually, the entire pump mechanism has been Awithdrawn from the well and, under these circumstances, all the liquid in the well casing, above the po'mt at which the pump was positioned in the-well, flows back in the well. This is rather disadvantageous, especially where the well is very deep and has a very low liquid level or is cased with rather large pipe. For instance, if the p0 well lis three or four thousand feet deep and the liquid'level in the well is only three or four feet above the bottom, when pumping operations are iirst started, itis necessary to pump in the neighborhood of one hundred barrels of fluid to eng5 tirely fill the casing before it begins to ilow out at the top of the well. 'I'his will usually be several hours pumping and, in some cases, might be several ldays production irom the sand as where theproduction iszso small that thewell can be ao pumped only an hour or two a day before-.exhausting the oilwhich has accumulated in the sand subsequent to the last prior pumping operation. The primary object of the invention, therefore,

,is to provide a well pumping mechanism. wherein the primary operating Vunlt, `i. e., the traveling valve which is lsuspended from and reciprocated in the working barrel of the pump by the sucker rod, vcan be withdrawn from AVtheworkjng barrel and from the well without disturbing the posi- 40 tinof the pump in the well."thus maintaining the seal in the well at the pmprso as to prevent previously pumped uid standingY in the well above the pump returning to'the sand formations. Another object of the invention is tov provide a 45 pump structure wherein, ifi-desired, not only may the sucker rod and'traveling valve be-withdrawn from the well but, if desired, the working barrel, together with one of the well sealing elements, `may also be withdrawmleaving what isA termed 50 the packer, the drain sleeve and the shell in position in the well.

A further object ofthe invention is to provide a pump structure in which the various umts before mentioned may be withdrawn without disu turbing the position of the-other parts and, at

modied form of the invention;

the same' time, the sucker4 rod, which operates a traveling valve, is utilized as is common practice in loweringthe entire pump structure in the well at the time the pump is installed.

With these and other objects in view, the in- 5 vention consists in certain details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will hereinafter be more fully described, and the novel features thereof particutremity of the, traveling valve;

Fig. 3 is a similar; view of the upper portion cf the standing valv;

Fig'. l4 is a detail sectional view illustrating the 20 two valves interlocked, the 'position they occupy 4when the Aentire pump is 'raised or lowered in the well;l

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view illustrating a l Fig. 6 is a development or flattened view o f the interior surface of the drain sleeve of the pump illustrated in Fig. 5;

Fig. `r1 'is a transverse sectional view onv the Yline 1-1 of Fig. 5; and 30 'Fig 8 is a similarfvlew on the line 8 8 of Fig. 5. .l

The usu'al Well casing is indicated at -20 in the several views and, in accordance with ordinary practice, the casing issealed adjacent the upper end yof the pump by a packer 2| carried at the i upper end of the drain sleeve 22 which, in turn, is mounted on the upper end of the shell 23. As

is well understood in the art, the entire pump unit A is installed byvlowering it into the well on the '40 sucker rodv 24 until the shell 23 .comes to rest on its support in the well. 'Ihe working barrel' 26 of the pump which carriesa tubular mandrel 2l at its upper end is then permitted to move downward with respect to the shell whose movement has been arrested and the mandrel enters and expands the packer into sealing engagement with the well casing'.A

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. .1 to 4when the pump is being lowered or 50 installed in the well, the traveling valve 25 at the lower end of sucker rod 24 is coupledto the standing valve 28 (Fig, 4) secured in the lower end of the working barrel 26 and mandrel 21 1s spaced somewhat above the packer 2| which is55 end of drainv sleeve 22 so that the entire pump is 2 then contracted. At the same time, theshoulder formed by collar'29 is engaged against the lower suspended or supported on the-sucker rod. .However, as previously mentioned, when 'shell 2 2 comes to rest in the well, the working barrel moves downwardly with respectthereto, so that the mandrel will expand the packer as shown.

It then only remains to free the two' valves to n locked by the'provision/oi what is termed a bayinitiatepumping operations. In this form of: the invention the two valves are' coupled-.or intercnet joint or J-tool assembly. That is, vone valve is provided with pins or lugs radapted to engage in slots in the other valve, said slots having a vertical entrance or throat 3 l, and a transverse portion 32 terminating in a depression or socket 33. As will be apparent, the two valves are disv connected by slightly lowering the sucker rod and traveling valve after the mandrel and barrel `have come to rest, thus moving the pins 3U out of the sockets 33,- then'rotating the. sucker rod to position the pins in the inner ends oi'throattportions 3| of the slots in the traveling barrel, whereupon the traveling valve and sucker rod canv be freed I from said standing valve. While pumping ,`the reciprocatory movement' of the sucker rod is limjited'to the normal working stroke of the valve 25.

However, should it be desirable to pull or raise the valve 25 out of the well, it is only necessary to fully withdraw theI sucker rod, as the bore of` the barrel and mandrel is unobstructed. Thisl will leave the packer sealed and the standing valve, being seated, no liquid -above the pump 25 are returned to the well, they will be guided.

can drain out below the pump structure remaining in the well= When the sucker rod and valve into the working barrel by the beveled inner surface of mandrel 21.

The modiiied form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 5 to 8 is similar to that embodied ,in the and traveling valve or, ii desired, only-the rod and. valve maybe removed. For this purpose, the inner surface of the drain sleeve 22 is formed with recesses 45 and slots 46, ilared at their entrances as at`4'l, 43, and the barrel is formed with lugs 49.011l its exterior adapted to'se'at in said recesses when the entire structure is to be raised or to pass 'through said slots if the barrel and mandrel are' to be removed from the shell and raised to the surface. With the parts in normal operating position, as shown, the rod 24 and traveling valve, alone, can be raised. to the surface without disturbing the remaining structure, due to ,the factthat the two valves are disconnected at 30, 3l. However, if it should be desirable to pull thebarrel and mandrel with the rod and valve, leaving'th'e shellin'position, the two valves are first interlockedfand the barrel then turned 'by rotating (the sucker rod untilthe` lu'gs 49 engage in recesses 45. O f'course, whenV the barrel and mandrel are thuswithdrawn the seal ,of the packer is broken and the shell is also entirely open, so that vfluid will drain back through Vports 50 inv drain sleeve 22 but, as rst s et forth, it is possible in allinstances to raise the rod and traveling-valve withoutpermittingsuch drain-A age. It will be understood that nuidabove the p ump can be draihedpastor below'the pump when it is desired to remove the entire pump v structure from the well. In normally withdrawing the entire assembly, the barrel is first raised to disengage the mandrel 21 from the packer 2|.

This opens an annular space between the mang vdrel and packer through which iluid above the pump. will pass and drain through the ports 50 in the drain sleeve. Thus the pressure above the pump is relievedand raising ofthe pump materially facilitated. f

'Ihe present application is a division of applicants pending application Serial No. 87,310, iiled June 25, 1936, and reference is also made to applicants pending application Serial No. 751,778, wherein the support and drain features are more fullydescribed and claimed.

. These applications have now eventuated into ,Patents Nos. 2,111,176 and 2,111,173, respectively.

What I claim is:

1. In a well pump, the combination oi' a work.- Ving barrel, a packer sleeve surrounding the barrel, a mandrel on said barrel for radially expanding said sleeve, a standing valve and atraveling valve in the barrel, a vsucker rod attached to the traveling valve for reciprocating the latter,v and interlocking connections between said valves for supporting the working barrel on the sucker rod, said connections being releasableto free the traveling valvev and rod from the standing valve, said.V traveling valve' and rod being removable from the well independently ofthe barrel when freed. v 1

2. In a well pump, a working barrel, means for supporting said barrel in the well, a standing valvesecured in the barrel having laterally dis'- posed projections thereon, a traveling valve, a sucker rod attached to-said traveling valve for reciprocating the same' in the barrel, and means on said traveling valve adapted to interlock with the' projections on said'standing valve whereby the barrel may be raised and lowered by the sucker rod, said interlocking means being releas- -able from said projections to free the rod from the standing valve, said rod and traveling valve ing barrel, a drain sleeve s urroundingand adapted to besupported on the barrel, a-packer on said sleeve, said .barrel being movable longitudinally 50 relatively to the sleeve and packer for expanding thelatterfa standing valve secured in the barrel, a traveling valve in the barrel, a suckerrod for actuating the traveling valve, and releasable interlocking connections on said valves for supportingthe barrel on' said rod, said rod Qnd traveling valve being removable from the vwell inde- -penc lent'y-of theremaining structure when-said elements are disengaged, and means for disengagingand removing said. barrel from the sleeve to permit withdrawal of the barrel from the well independently oisaid sleeve and packer.

4. In a well pump, the combination of a working barrel, a drain sleeve surrounding and adapted to be supported on the barrel, a packer on said sleeve, said barrel being LAmovable longitudinally reatively to the sleeve and packer' for expanding the latter, a' standing valve secured in vthe barrel,a traveling vwalve -in the barrel, a sucker. rodV for actuating the traveling valve, means 70 `for supporting the arrel on the rod, and means -for vdisengaging and removing the barrel from said sleeve to permit'withdrawal'of the` barrel well independently of the sleeve and jections can pass, a packer on said sleeve, standing and traveling valves in the barrel, and a sucker rod for actuating said traveling valve, said barrel being movable to aline said projections with the recesses and slots in the. sleeve at the will of the operator.

6. In a well pump, the combination of a working barrel, means comprising a packing member for supporting the barrel in a well, a mandrel on the barrel for radially expanding the packer, a traveling valve in the barrel, a sucker rod carrying said valve for reciprocating the same, re.

leasable means securing said rod to the barrel, and detachable means connecting the barrel to the remaining pump structure, said rod and valve being removable from the pump and well independently of the barrel, and said rod, valve, barrel and mandrel being releasable as a unit from the remaining pump structure while in the well.

7. In a well pump, the combination of a working barrel, means comprising a packing member for supporting the barrel in a well, a mandrel on the barrel for radially expanding the packer, a traveling valve in the barrel, a sucker rod carrying said Valve for reciprocating the same, means for supporting the barrel on the sucker rod, and releasable means connecting said barrel to the remaining pump structure, said barrel together with the mandrel carried 'thereby and the rod on which said barrel is supported being removable from the well as a unit independently of said remaining structure upon release of said connecting means.

WILLIAM-FRED COX. 

